Louis brfjlaz and berths brelaz naudls



(ModeL) L. BRELAZ 8v B. B. NAUDE.

' SKIRT HOLDER.

No. 575,279. Patented Jan. 12, 1897.

m5 Nnnms Farms co PHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON a. c,

UNITED STATEs EEicE.

PATENT SKIRT-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,279, dated January 12, 1897. Application filed March 25, 1896. Serial No. 584,727. (ModeL) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LOUIS BRELAZ and BERTHE BRELAZ NAUDE, citizens of the Republic of Switzerland, residing at Morges, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ladies Skirt-IIolders, of which the following is a specification.

The invention consists of an improved device (intended to be fixed to the skirt) for holding up ladies skirts and fixed to the skirt akimbo. We are aware that a large number of devices intended for the same purpose'have been invented before, but they generally fail to seize the folds of skirts firmly, especially in cases where the latter be made of a heavy cloth.

Our improved device is constructed in view of being able to seize and firmly retain a sufficient number of folds of the skirts, even if the latter are made of thick and heavy cloth. The traction upon the device resulting from the weight of said cloth tends to firmly tighten the grip forming part of the said device. The latter is composed of two distinct portionsfirst, the grip, formed of a spring-shaped body having two rigid'arms to which is hinged the grip proper, formed of a crank-lever intended to bear with one of its arms against the rigid portion of the spring-shaped bodyand to press with its other arm the folds of the skirt which are to be held up against the spring-shaped portion of said body; second, the chain intended to be fixed akimbo and which supports the grip, so that it is held in proper position without danger of the chain winding around the body of the wearer.

In view of the nature of the invention being the better understood we will now proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, which make a part of the present application.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows the whole of the holding-up-skirt device, the ends of the chain being connected to the rings of the latter so as to form two distinct lashes, one of which is intended to be fixed akimbo in the manner of a waist-ribbon. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, on a larger scale, of the open grip. Fig. 3 is a similar elevation of the same grip when shut.

In all the figures similar letters of reference refer to similar parts.

piece A provided with several holes at, in-

tended to be connected to a chatelaine B, the other end of which is connected to a plate C. To the ends of the arched arms A and A there are riveted the pivots d d of the crank-lever intended to seize and support the folds of the skirts, the said pivots d 01 being free to rotate in the said ends of the arms A and A The said crank-lever is formed of an arm D, having the same arched form as the said arms A and A and being provided with an outcut 01 intended to allow the lady to insert her finger into it when the grip is to be opened for releasing the skirts. The said arm D of the crank-lever is further provided with two shoulders 01 and d intended to hook themselves to the top of the body-piece A, as shown in Fig. 3. The arm D of the crank-lever is bent at a substantially right angle with respect to the arm D, and it projects toward the corrugated portion of the spring-shaped portion of the body-piece A.

Now it will be seen that when the arm D is in the position shown in Fig. 2 one may engage the folds of the skirts between the arm D and the spring-shaped part of the bodypiece A, and that when the said arm D is thrown from its position shown in Fig. 2 to its position shown in Fig. 3 the said folds of the skirt will be strongly pressed against the corrugated portion of the spring-shaped body A, and that the shoulders d and (1 being hooked, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, to the right and the left of the head-piece A of the said spring-shaped body A, the clutch will very firmly clasp and retain the said folds of the skirts.

To the plate 0 there are connected two chains E and F, each of which is provided with a certain number of larger rings e and f, respectively, and with a spring-hook 6 and f", respectively, in view of allowing the lady to hook the end of each of the said chains E and F to either of the rings f or 6, respectively, as shown in Fig. 1, forming two lashes, the one of which is intended to be fixed akimbo like a waist-ribbon.

Having thus fully described our invention, we claim- An improved device for holding up ladies skirts,co1nprising a grip, consisting of a spring body-piece A provided with transverse corrugations, arched arms A extending from one end of said body-piece, and head A extending beyond the bases of said arms, in combination with a cranked or bent lever D, D, corresponding in curvature to the arched arms and pivotally supported between the said arms, said lever having at its outer end a recess or cut-away portion and provided with two shoulders or projections d at the sides of said recess which are adapted to spring over the body A at both sides of the head A substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS BRELAZ. BERTHE BRELAZ NAUDE.

XVitnesses:

E. IMER SCHNEIDER, TH. IMER. 

